Skip to main content

< Back to Main List

Saudi Arabia's Role in 9/11

Fifteen of the nineteen hijackers were Saudi nationals, and declassified documents reveal that Saudi government operatives provided financial and logistical support to the hijackers — a connection the US government classified for 14 years.

FieldDetails
TypeState Sponsorship / Government Cover-Up
First Articulated ByThe Joint Inquiry's classified 28 pages (2002); championed by Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) for 14 years
Active Period2001 -- present
Key ClaimThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through its intelligence operatives and embassy/consulate officials, provided direct financial and logistical support to at least two of the 9/11 hijackers, and the US government classified this evidence to protect the US-Saudi relationship
Evidence RatingWELL-DOCUMENTED

Overview​

The Saudi connection to 9/11 is among the most thoroughly documented aspects of the attacks. Fifteen of the nineteen hijackers were Saudi citizens. The Congressional Joint Inquiry into the attacks produced a 28-page section detailing evidence of Saudi government support for the hijackers, which was classified in its entirety at the insistence of the George W. Bush administration in 2002. Senator Bob Graham, who co-chaired the Joint Inquiry, spent 14 years fighting to declassify these pages, which were partially released in July 2016.

The declassified documents, supplemented by FBI investigative files released in 2021 under Executive Order, reveal that Saudi intelligence agent Omar al-Bayoumi met two hijackers (Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar) shortly after their arrival in the United States, helped them find housing, co-signed their lease, and may have paid their first month's rent. Money from the Saudi embassy — including funds connected to Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi ambassador to the US — flowed to individuals in contact with the hijackers.

Despite this evidence, Saudi Arabia was not held accountable. Instead, the kingdom was immediately enlisted as a US ally in the War on Terror, and the bin Laden family was allowed to fly out of the United States when all other civilian air traffic was grounded.

Evidence & Documentation​

The 28 Pages​

The Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after 9/11, completed in December 2002, contained a 28-page section on foreign government support for the hijackers. The Bush administration classified these pages in their entirety. According to those who read them — including Senators Bob Graham, Bob Kerrey, and Representatives Walter Jones and Thomas Massie — the pages detailed evidence of Saudi government involvement.

Senator Graham stated publicly that the 28 pages showed "a direct line between at least some of the terrorists and the government of Saudi Arabia." Representative Massie said after reading them: "I had to stop every couple of pages and just sort of absorb and try to rearrange my understanding of history. It challenges you to rethink everything."

The pages were partially declassified in July 2016 under the Obama administration. While heavily redacted, they confirmed that Saudi government officials, including from the Saudi embassy in Washington and consulate in Los Angeles, had contacts with the hijackers and their associates.

Omar al-Bayoumi: Saudi Intelligence Agent​

Omar al-Bayoumi was a Saudi national living in San Diego who received a monthly stipend from a Saudi government contractor. In 2021, the FBI formally acknowledged that al-Bayoumi was "a Saudi intelligence agent" — a determination that had been classified for 20 years.

According to the FBI, al-Bayoumi met hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar at a restaurant in Los Angeles in February 2000 — shortly after a meeting at the Saudi consulate. He then helped them relocate to San Diego, co-signed their apartment lease, may have paid their first month's rent and security deposit, and connected them with the local Muslim community. Al-Bayoumi also hosted a welcome party for them.

Al-Bayoumi left the United States for England shortly before the attacks and was briefly detained by British authorities before being released.

Prince Bandar bin Sultan and Financial Connections​

Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi ambassador to the United States (known colloquially as "Bandar Bush" for his close relationship with the Bush family), and his wife, Princess Haifa al-Faisal, provided approximately $140,000 over several years to Osama Basnan and his wife, Majeda Dweikat. Basnan was a close associate of Omar al-Bayoumi. The payments were described as charitable assistance for Dweikat's medical expenses, but investigators found that some of the money may have been passed to the hijackers.

The 28 pages specifically reference these financial flows. CNN reported in 2016 that the declassified pages revealed "an indirect 9/11 link to Saudi Arabia's Bandar."

Fahad al-Thumairy​

Fahad al-Thumairy was an official at the Saudi consulate in Los Angeles who served as an imam at the King Fahad Mosque. The 9/11 Commission identified him as having possible connections to the hijackers' support network. Al-Thumairy was deported from the United States in 2003 after the State Department revoked his diplomatic visa.

The Visa Express Program​

In the summer of 2001, the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia operated a "Visa Express" program that allowed Saudi nationals to obtain US visas through travel agencies without appearing in person at the embassy. Multiple hijackers obtained their visas through this streamlined process. The program was shut down after 9/11 amid criticism that it had facilitated the hijackers' entry into the country.

Bin Laden Family Flights​

In the days immediately following 9/11, while all civilian air traffic in the United States was grounded, members of the bin Laden family and other Saudi nationals were allowed to fly out of the country. Richard Clarke, the White House counterterrorism coordinator, acknowledged authorizing the flights. The 9/11 Commission stated that the FBI screened the passengers before departure, but critics note that the FBI's own investigation of the attacks was still in its earliest stages.

Author Craig Unger documented these flights in his book House of Bush, House of Saud (2004), identifying 142 Saudi nationals, including 24 members of the bin Laden family, who were allowed to leave.

JASTA and the Ongoing Lawsuits​

The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), passed by Congress in September 2016 over President Obama's veto, allowed the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government lobbied intensively against the legislation. Lawsuits are ongoing as of 2026, with continued FBI document releases providing new evidence of Saudi government involvement.

In September 2021, under the Biden administration, the FBI began declassifying documents related to its "Operation Encore" investigation of Saudi connections. These releases confirmed the FBI's assessment that al-Bayoumi was a Saudi intelligence agent and revealed additional details about the support network in San Diego.

The Saudi Government's Denials​

Saudi Arabia has consistently denied any involvement in the 9/11 attacks. The Saudi embassy has stated that the kingdom was itself a victim of terrorism and that individual Saudis who may have had contact with the hijackers were acting without government knowledge or authorization.

Key Figures​

  • Bob Graham — Senator who co-chaired the Joint Inquiry and fought 14 years to declassify the 28 pages
  • Omar al-Bayoumi — Saudi intelligence agent who assisted hijackers in San Diego
  • Prince Bandar bin Sultan — Saudi ambassador; financial connections to hijacker support network
  • Fahad al-Thumairy — Saudi consulate official in Los Angeles with possible hijacker connections
  • Philip Zelikow — 9/11 Commission Executive Director who minimized the Saudi connection in the final report
  • Craig Unger — Author of House of Bush, House of Saud, documenting Bush-Saudi financial ties
  • Richard Clarke — White House counterterrorism coordinator who authorized the bin Laden family flights

Criticisms & Counter-Arguments​

  • The 9/11 Commission stated it found "no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded" al-Qaeda — though critics note this carefully worded conclusion does not address lower-level officials or intelligence operatives.
  • Saudi Arabia maintains that any contacts between Saudi nationals and the hijackers were coincidental and not directed by the government.
  • Prince Bandar's payments — The Basnan payments were described as charitable medical assistance, and investigators could not conclusively prove the funds were intended for the hijackers.
  • Al-Bayoumi's role — Some investigators argued al-Bayoumi was an overly friendly man who helped many newcomers, not specifically targeting the hijackers. This interpretation was largely abandoned after the 2021 FBI disclosure.
  • Visa Express — Defenders argued the program was designed for a close ally nation and that most applicants were legitimate travelers.

See Also​

  • The 28 Pages / Saudi Connection — Detailed analysis of the classified 28 pages and their declassification
  • Bob Graham — The senator who led the fight to expose the Saudi connection
  • Osama bin Laden — The Saudi-born leader of al-Qaeda
  • Al-Qaeda — The organization whose 15 of 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals
  • Philip Zelikow — Controlled the 9/11 Commission that minimized the Saudi role
  • LIHOP vs MIHOP — Saudi facilitation fits the LIHOP framework
  • Pakistan ISI — Another foreign intelligence service implicated in supporting the hijackers

Other Coverage Worth Reading​

  • The 28 Pages / Saudi Connection: The classified pages that a senator fought 14 years to release — revealing Saudi government operatives helped the hijackers.
  • Bob Graham: Senator co-chaired the Joint Inquiry, then spent the rest of his career trying to expose what the US government was hiding about Saudi Arabia.
  • Insider Trading / Put Options: Millions in put options on the exact airlines used in the attacks — the SEC investigated, then suppressed the details.
  • Sibel Edmonds: FBI translator discovered a web of foreknowledge and foreign intelligence penetration — then was gagged by the government.

Sources​

This information was compiled by Claude AI research.